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Rounding decimals – Grade 5 math lesson

Lesson 10 of 18 in the Grade 5 math course

US version. US grades, US spelling and dollars ($). · UK Maths Department

A complete 45-minute lesson for grade 5 (ages 10–11) that runs on this page – at school or at home. Every answer is graded right away, with a worked explanation.

Time
45 minutes + 20 min homework
Grade
Grade 5 (ages 10–11)
You need
Paper, a pencil and this page
Graded
Instantly, with explanations

For parents: how to use this lesson

You don't need to know this topic yourself. The lesson explains each step on screen, one tidy step at a time. Every answer is graded straight away with a worked explanation, so you never have to grade anything.

  1. Read what your child will learn and the big ideas together.
  2. Press Start the lesson below and sit with your child for the teaching and the worked examples (about 19 minutes).
  3. Let them do the practice on their own. They choose Getting started, On track or Challenge – start on On track and move up after a few right in a row.
  4. Finish with the exit ticket and the talk question: “Why does 4.95 round to 5.0 to one decimal place?”
  5. Later that day or the next day: the homework (20 minutes), then a practice test.

Watch out for

  • Looking at the wrong digit to decide. Underline the place you are rounding to and circle the next digit.
  • Rounding 2.96 to one decimal place as 2.10. Nine tenths plus one tenth is a whole one: the answer is 3.0.

Tip for home: Round prices or race times to the nearest whole number together.

What your child will learn

Learning goal: round decimals to the nearest whole number, tenth or hundredth.

Success looks like

  • I can round to the nearest whole number.
  • I can round to one decimal place.
  • I can explain which digit decides.

Key words

round
change to the nearest value at a given place
decimal place
a place after the decimal point
nearest
closest on the number line
tenth
the first place after the point

What to have ready

  • Paper and a pencil
  • This page on a computer, tablet or phone
  • For the hands-on part: Draw a number line between two whole numbers marked in tenths. Place decimals on it and decide which end each is nearer to.

The big ideas (for the adult)

Rounding a decimal works like rounding whole numbers: find the two numbers it is between at the place you are rounding to.

Look at the digit one place to the right. If it is 5 or more, round up; if it is 4 or less, round down.

After rounding to one decimal place there is exactly one digit after the point: 3.96 rounds to 4.0.

The lesson, step by step

45 minutes in 5 parts
PartTimeHow it is checked
Starter: quick recall5 minGraded by Classfern
Teaching input10 minNot assessed, self-checked
Worked examples and guided practice9 minNot assessed, graded by Classfern
Independent practice15 minGraded by Classfern
Closure and exit ticket6 minGraded by Classfern, self-checked

Starter, "your turn", practice and exit ticket are graded by Classfern. Worked examples and teaching are not assessed. The hands-on task and the reflection are self-assessed. Explanations in talk are judged by the parent and not recorded.

The lesson

It runs here on the page. No sign-up and no names – progress is kept only in this browser.

Homework and practice at home

20 minutes: 10 practice questions, 3 multiple-choice questions and 2 to remember from earlier work, then a short reflection. New questions every time, all graded instantly.

More practice

All Grade 5 math lessons and tests · Math Department

More Grade 5 math lessons

Curriculum

Common Core State Standards 5.NBT.A.4: “Use place value understanding to round decimals to any place.”

Our lessons and questions are our own. They are not written or endorsed by any government department, testing agency or exam board.